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Amelia Earhart. Autograph Letter Signed ("A") to her mother, Amy Otis Earhart. No place: April 1932. [Toge...
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Description
Amelia Earhart. Autograph Letter Signed ("A") to her mother, Amy Otis Earhart. No place: April 1932. [Together with:] Automobile Permit from Glacier National Park [June 26, 1924] and a Ludington Airlines Pass [circa 1930]. Autograph letter signed ("A"). One leaf in pencil, recto and verso. Measuring approximately 5 x 8 inches. Creased, toned, minor edgewear, small closed tear to left margin just touching text, a few pin points of foxing.Amelia's letter reads, in full:
"Dear Mother,
I sent a box of second-handies today. I'll send a more interesting one, I hope, soon. The white and blue shirt is for Pidge [affectionate nickname for Amelia's sister, Muriel]. The collar will have to be trimmed or maybe cut-off as it is ripped. The other is for you as I think it's too small for P. The hat for anyone. The brown would have to be cut down and maybe would do. The gray is about P's size, I think. Something for anyone who needs. Hair brush for you. Tell P I had an enjoyable time in her domicile and she must send me bills for renovating, tailoring, etc.
A-"
[Together with:] Glacier National Park Automobile Permit. No. 5627. Issued by St. Mary Station, June 26 [1924]. Printed and filled-in in manuscript, recto only. Measuring approximately 3.5 x 4.35 inches. Lightly toned, dried, toned adhesive on verso.
[And:] Ludington Airlines, Inc. Pass. No. 5732. No date [circa early 1930s]. Printed and filled in manuscript, recto and verso. Measuring approximately 4.5 x 3.5 inches. Small ink burn just affecting text, toned, minor edgewear, dried and toned adhesive on verso, crease and minor soiling from two previous paperclips.
Following the dissolution of her mother's marriage, Amelia traded her beloved Kinner "Canary" Airster for a Kissel touring car, also bright yellow. "In the late spring [1924] Amelia put Amy in the 'Yellow Peril' and left for Boston on a rambling itinerary that went north via Yosemite and Crater Lake, turned east from Seattle to Banff and Lake Louise, headed south for Yellowstone, and finally picked up the airmail beacons stations along the Lincoln Highway near Cheyenne [on their way to Boston], which thrilled Amelia," (Backus). This small but unique memento from Earhart's cross-country road trip shows that she paid $2.50 to permit 'The Yellow Peril' ("License No. 454-692"), ferrying herself and her mother into Glacier National Park.
By the mid-1930s, Amelia had already made a name for herself in the local aviation world. This reputation secured her invitation to found and operate a new airline service, Ludington Airlines Inc. "She was to be vice president in charge of public relations, promoting the new airline's hourly shuttle service connecting New York, Philadelphia, and Washington," (Long). The new service was inaugurated on September 1, 1930, financed by Charles and Nicholas Ludington, of Philadelphia. "Because of her appearances for TAT [Transcontinental Air Transport] and Ludington and her paid lectures, Earhart was traveling almost constantly to every corner of the United States," (Long). This ticket represents just one of these countless flights, at a time when Amelia was working extremely hard to expand both her audience and horizons.
"At the beginning of 1932, Amelia was not only exhausted from the fall lecture schedule, the autogiro trip, and work on her new manuscript, she was increasingly restless under the double confinement of work and marriage... she had been asked often enough when she was going to fly the Atlantic solo. Now seemed the time to attempt it." As had been her way during this busy time, Amelia wrote to her mother often, but chiefly regarding finances and clothing. She tended to downplay her various excursions and adventures, both seemingly from a habit of ensuring success before it was announced and keeping her mother from worry. This letter is dated a mere month before Amelia's record-breaking solo-flight across the Atlantic, and showcases her love for her family, good word play, and compassion, present beneath it all.
Backus, Letters from Amelia, page 78; Long, Amelia Earhart, The Mystery Solved, pages 45-46.
Provenance: From the estate of record-breaking aviator, Amelia Earhart author and researcher Elgen M. Long and his wife, fellow Earhart scholar, Marie K. Long.
Auction Info
2022 July 16 Historical Platinum Session Signature® Auction #6258 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
July, 2022
16th
Saturday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 10
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 546
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